How To Set Up An Awesome Sleepover
Party At Home For Your Own Kids

After a year of staying at home it can be difficult to think up new ways to make a quiet weekend exciting! The kids have played with every toy, eaten every snack and run around the garden a million times, so how can you inspire their imaginations and create a memorable experience at home now? A magical sleepover party is one way to turn the every day into something special. Here are our top tips to consider when planning your own dreamy sleepover at home.

1. Write your guest list

Every good event needs a guest list, and the fanciest events always have somebody in charge of ticking off the names on a clipboard. If you have a child who likes to feel in charge, this is a great role to get them involved in the planning and build excitement for the big event. They can write out a Very Official Guest List - it may only feature the names of your family and the dog, but it makes everything seem more important. Perhaps the child might also like to make invites for everyone?

When thinking about your guest list, don’t forget the grown ups! For some children, particularly younger ones, it will really add to the excitement to have their grown ups join them during the sleepover, and bunk up on camp beds next to them. This creates a lovely bonding experience that they will remember for years to come. Older kids may prefer to invite the grown ups just for the evening of their sleepover, and then send them off to their proper bedroom for the night leaving the kids to ‘sleep’ (read: chat in the dark and eat midnight snacks).

2. Consider the location

A proper sleepover should involve staying somewhere that’s not the child’s usual bed. Could they take over the living room for the night? Or perhaps there’s a spare room that they have never slept in, that will feel like a really new experience? Of course if the weather is good and you have the right kit the family could always camp in the garden (with the option of bolting back indoors if it gets too chilly or things go bump in the night).

3. Make your bed

There are all sorts of ways to make fun and cosy beds for a sleepover.

- Make a sofa fort by pulling the cushions onto the floor, and laying bedding over the top, a Kabode Quilt and sheets ould be great to snuggle under!

- Use a camping mattress to create a squishy airbed, or layer up yoga mats and blankets for kids to sleep on.

- If you have a trampoline and the weather is warm enough (and there’s no rain in the forecast!) then fill it with blankets and pillows for a night under the stars!

- Create individual teepees for each child by laying your Kabode sheets over the backs of dining chairs and putting pillows and quilts on the floor underneath.

- You could even create a cosy tent for a couple of children by hanging sheets over a large dining table, and adding cushions and fairy lights underneath to create a secret den - no grown ups allowed!

4. Turn night into day

Perhaps the most exciting part of a sleepover is the opportunity to stay up late! Don’t forget what a thrilling treat this can be, particularly for small kids who don’t get to see the hours past 8pm very often. Perhaps you could engage the kids in planning a schedule for the sleepover, marking when it passes their usual bedtime and the fun really begins.

Consider adding in activities such as a torchlit adventure around the garden, a ‘late night’ video call with a family member and of course some spooky stories. Midnight snacks are of course necessary! Plan in some fun snack breaks such as a make your own ice cream sundae bar, or mini pizzas served with all their favourite toppings. If you can get the kids to help out with prepping the snacks as well as eating them the time will fly!

5. And when it’s finally time to sleep…

After all that excitement it might take everyone a little while to settle down to sleep. (But hopefully they might sleep in later the morning after too, win win!) You can help things along by cuddling up with some bedtime stories and recreating the children’s usual sleep routine, even in their fun sleepover space. Using their usual, familiar bedding, such as their favourite Kabode duvet cover and pillowcase, will help them to settle down and know that it’s finally time for sleep.

If they are really struggling to nod off, try asking them to listen to a podcast with their eyes closed. Just as for adults, there are lots of dedicated podcasts to help children sleep. The combination of interesting-but-not-too-interesting stories, soft music and ambient sound will help their minds to calm down and wander until they are soundly dreaming. If this isn’t part of their usual routine it can be a sleepover treat in itself - also handy to have up your sleeve when away from home at a hotel or the grandparents house!

6. Dream up a theme

Having created such a memorable experience in your own home, you might find that the kids want to recreate it again and again! To keep things interesting consider adding a theme to future sleepovers, based on your child’s interests. If they are a budding dancer you could incorporate learning a dance routine and watching a royal ballet performance, or if they’re more of a dinosaur fanatic how about an after dark ‘archealogical dig’ outdoors?

All parents get exhausted from time to time, trying to think up endless new ways to keep the kids entertained and happy without spending a fortune or going to new places, so we hope this has given you some ideas that will make you look at your home in a whole new light!